


the sun has burst the sky and the river its banks

by ahermioneh



Series: Nursey Week 2021 [4]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (it's barely there but it's there), Future Fic, M/M, NHL Player Chris "Chowder" Chow, NHL Player William "Dex" Poindexter, Nursey Week 2021, Nursey Week: Day 4 - Future, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahermioneh/pseuds/ahermioneh
Summary: He makes his way to the counter, plastering his customer service smile onto his face to greet this customer who’s decided to come in three minutes before they shut for the evening. “Welcome to Frogs’ Fiction! How can I help you to-” Derek’s breath hitches as he cuts himself off, mouth stretching into a grin. “Will? What are you doing here?”Dex’s face mirror’s Derek’s own as he beams across the counter at him. “You clearly haven’t checked the SMH group chat, or for that matter, the news.” He taps the baseball cap that he’s sporting. “I’ve been traded to the Falcs, Nurse.”
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Series: Nursey Week 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154669
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	the sun has burst the sky and the river its banks

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [Nursey Week 2021](https://nurseyweek2021.tumblr.com/): Day 4 - Future.

The tinkling of the shop’s doorbell interrupts Derek whilst he’s in the middle of unpacking the last box from this week’s shipment of books. He groans as he stands up, knees creaking; when did he start feeling so old? He dismisses the thought to the back of his mind, not really wanting to think about the fact that he’s here complaining about his knees to himself, whilst his best friends from college play a sport professionally that requires them to put their limbs at risk daily. **  
**

He makes his way to the counter, plastering his customer service smile onto his face to greet this customer who’s decided to come in three minutes before they shut for the evening. “Welcome to Frogs’ Fiction! How can I help you to-” Derek’s breath hitches as he cuts himself off, mouth stretching into a grin. “Will? What are you doing here?”

Dex’s face mirror’s Derek’s own as he beams across the counter at him. “You clearly haven’t checked the SMH group chat, or for that matter, the news.” He taps the baseball cap that he’s sporting. “I’ve been traded to the Falcs, Nurse.”

“Will, holy shit!” Derek rushes out from behind the counter to engulf him in a hug. “Three Samwell alumni on the same team! Who’d’ve thought?”

“Clearly Georgia Martin.” Dex’s grin stretches slightly, before softening as he shifts his hands from his front pockets to fidget with them. “Though, I didn’t really think she was actually gunning for me. I thought that once she had Jack and Chowder, she’d be happy.” He shrugs. “You know, I’m not a player that’s actually that desirable, you know.”

Derek squints at Dex, inspecting his face as if looking for the cause of his madness. “Dude, you were literally shortlisted for the Norris two months ago, but go off I guess.”

Dex lets out a startled laugh. “Who even says that anymore? It’s 2023.” Derek pouts at him and the tension seeps from Dex’s shoulders. “I’m glad that I’m back in New England though. Columbus and Philly weren’t that far away, but there’s something about here that always feels like home.” He looks wistfully over his shoulder and out the window, where the street ran alongside the Providence River. “Maybe it’s the sea air, or maybe it’s something else.” Dex shrugs. “Either way, it’s good to be back, especially with you.” 

A jolt of something runs through Derek and settles in his stomach as Dex’s grin fades into something more gentle and soft. He brushes the sensation aside and instead turns to look at the boxes he’d abandoned in the corner. “As you’re here, would you like to put those strong NHL player muscles to use? I’ve got the last of this week’s shipment to unpack, and it sure would make the time go quicker if you helped.” His eyes darted to look at Dex, trying to ascertain his reaction in the silence. “Of course, if you’re busy, you can go, but if you’re willing to hang around, that would-”

“Yeah, I’d love to help,” Dex cuts him off mid-ramble, bending down and hoisting a box onto his hip, looking on the one hand incredibly like a washer woman from the 1700s and on the other hand incredibly hot. Derek banishes that thought to the corner of his mind, and instead picks up the other box, following Dex to the counter.

Derek rips the packaging tape open and starts pulling out the books, placing them into piles to then shelve in certain areas of the store. “So, where are you staying at the moment?”

“Oh, I was in a hotel last night,” Dex says, “but George suggested I stay with Chowder for the next couple of weeks. Like, it would be great to stay with him and Farms, but they’re still unpacking their stuff from Chowder’s trade, so I feel like I’d probably be in the way there.” He shifts his weight from side to side before settling his elbows on the counter. “Also, Lottie’s still not sleeping through the night, so I’m not sure that I want to put more stress on their plates.”

“You can stay with me.” The words spill out of Derek’s mouth before he can even process the thought. “I mean, it’s not like an NHL-salary apartment, but I’ve got a guest bedroom upstairs and the shop’s not too far from the arena.” It’s fifteen minutes. He’s checked. (It’s not the main reason why he bought the shop, but his season tickets for the Falcs and his inability to drive thank him for it.) 

Dex hesitates, his brow furrowing. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to intrude.”  
  
“Dude, when have you ever intruded on me?” Derek raises an eyebrow. “I’m fairly sure that I was the one intruding most of the time during college, or do you not remember the room-sharing fiasco of 2017?” 

“You don’t have to call it that; it makes it sound way worse than it was.” Dex stretches his arms up in the air and Derek has to do everything in his willpower to tear his eyes away from Dex’s rippling muscles. This definitely wasn’t the time to be ogling his best friend, especially after he just offered him a place to stay. 

“You literally built your own house in the basement to get away from me.”

Dex doesn’t seem to have a comeback to that, so Derek just makes his way to the Classics section to start putting the books away. Once he’s slotted Pride and Prejudice into the right place, he cocks an eyebrow at Dex. “C’mon, at least I don’t have a baby that will keep you up at all hours of the night here.” Derek turns to fully face Dex. “So, what’s your answer, dude?” He manages a lop-sided smirk to stop the terrifying thought of Dex rejecting his offer from showing on his face. 

“Yeah, Derek.” Dex’s expression is finally certain, the set of his jaw and brow firm, but not harsh, lips curling into a grin. “Did you really think I was gonna say no?”

* * *

Derek walks into the kitchen the next morning to find Dex is already up and cooking, the early morning light casting a soft glow across his face as he sticks his tongue out in concentration. When Dex notices his presence, his expression twists into a fond smile brightening up the room. “G’morning Derek.” His gaze is undoubtedly fond, and Derek’s stomach squirms a bit in response to receiving such a loving look, even though there’s no heat in it. 

How could he have even thought that Dex would say no to living with him again? 

Derek returns the smile, sappy and tender. He knows he shouldn’t be aiming these love-sick expressions at his best friend, but the sight of Dex in his kitchen has erased all thought of that from his mind. “Morning, Will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Check out all the fantastic works for Nursey Week 2021 [here](https://nurseyweek2021.tumblr.com)


End file.
